I. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications and more particularly to deployment of wireless relays in a wireless communications network.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication and to communicate information regardless of where a user is located (e.g., inside or outside a structure) and whether a user is stationary or moving (e.g., in a vehicle, walking). For example, voice, data, video, and so forth can be provided through wireless communication systems. A typical wireless communication system, or network, can provide multiple users access to one or more shared resources. A system can use a variety of multiple access techniques such as Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), and others.
Wireless relays are deployed in wireless networks (such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) High Speed Packet Access Evolution (HSPA+), for example) to achieve coverage extension and capacity increases at relatively low cost. However, the design of a relay (e.g., a multi-hop system) presents problems related to inclusion of relays in an air-interface system designed for single-hop. Further, there is motivation to mitigate changes that would require new or modified user equipment (or mobile devices), network elements such as base stations (NodeBs), and interfaces. Further, networking and processing should be harmonized for mobile devices on relays versus mobile devices not on relays.